Pediatric Heart Transplant Study( PHTS) The Pediatric Heart Transplant Study( PHTS) was established in 1991 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham by Drs. James Kirklin, David Naftel, and Robert Morrow. The registry began data collection on January 1, 1993 and now includes over 7,000 patients. Dr. Kirklin has continued to be the Principal Investigator for the registry since its creation. PHTS is dedicated to the advancement of the science and treatment of children during listing for and following heart transplantation. The purposes of the group are to establish and maintain an international, prospective, event driven database for heart transplantation, to use the database to encourage and stimulate basic and clinical research in the field of pediatric heart transplantation and to promote new therapeutic strategies. The PHTS has continued its growth annually beginning with 20 US hospitals in 1993 to now having over 50 participating hospitals from the United States, Canada, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. PHTS membership has presented over 90 abstracts and published over 60 papers. For additional information and a list of recent publications, please visit the PHTS website: uab. edu / medicine / phts /
EDUCATION, TRAINING, & RESEARCH
World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery( WSPCHS) The Governing Council of WSPCHS has established the World Database for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery at UAB, under the leadership of James K. Kirklin, MD. The World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery( WSPCHS) was founded in 2006 in Montreal by Cristo Tchervenkov, MD, and Richard A. Jonas, MD. Their vision is that every child worldwide born with a congenital heart defect should have access to the appropriate medical and surgical care. The WSPCHS promotes the highest quality comprehensive cardiac care for all patients with congenital heart disease, from the fetus to the adult, regardless of the patient’ s economic means and with an emphasis on excellence in teaching, research, and community service. For more information, please visit wspchs. org www. uabmedicine. org 51